The Horcrux within
by i'mjustwriting16
Summary: James and Lily Potter have twins: Harriet and Jacob Potter- when Voldemort attacks that fateful night the whole family survive... However it is understood that Harriet bore the runt of the curse... Meaning she now carries a part of Voldemort inside her. Nobody would give this knowledge to a child, so for years she lives unaware of this and wonders why her family are scared of her.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, just a little something I have been working on for a while now. Toying with the idea of a darker twist on the Harry Potter books. For the time being it's a T... But I won't say that it will stay that way because who knows? After all a darker version is darker for a reason haha. **

**I appreciate that this is a confusing setup so allow me to explain briefly: **

**James and Lilly Potter never died, they had two twin children: Jacob Potter and Harriet Potter. Jacob- suck up well behaved and a bit of a favourite. Harry- Harriet Potter, a female version of the original version who is darker, A.K.A she is the twin with the horcrux inside her and as a result is prone to slightly more violent, voldemorty-ish behaviour. **

**The story starts off similar to original books but will soon change as it will follow Harriet and not Jacob, who will obviously be living the more traditional Harry Potter plot line. **

"Why does everybody love Jacob more than me?"

I remember the first time I asked my Mum that question. She frowned slightly, her eyes taking on a glassy quality, before Dad put his arm around her and told me sternly.

"That's not true Harriet. It's wrong to be jealous, you should apologise, and you know your Mum doesn't like you being unkind to your brother."

That was the answer I got, and it stuck with me. I didn't ask again.

But I thought about it a great deal. I was after all a young child, and the large gift wrapped boxes that arrived and envelopes full of galleons bearing the name:

_**Jacob Potter **_on them didn't help to lessen my feelings of jealousy to my twin brother, born exactly half hour before me. He pushed his way out first, blocking my exit apparently, even though I was first in position to arrive. It's typical of Jacob really, being first in everything. Despite my best efforts, I always finish up behind him.

We attended a Muggle primary school, my Mothers idea really, to help give us that edge for going incognito later on in life, and every single test we did... Well I didn't see the point really... I mean, if we're not a Muggle, why take their tests? Weren't O.W.L's more important for Wizards and Witches?

Jacob however, found the whole thing fascinating, and delighted his teachers with his quirky ways. Nobody ever believed that the bright red haired boy with his cool scar and bright green eyes could possibly be related to that dark girl with her unruly wild hair and poor eyesight. Jacob was the best at sports, from the football teams, to even the dance classes Mum thought we should take that one year. I quit after the first day, when my teacher announced in a sniffy voice that I had no rhythm and even she, despite being the most prestigious and well renowned teacher in a century, (according to her) could not teach me a thing.

"Why do I want to take a Muggle dance class?" was my main argument, and it caused my Mum to blink, and my Dad to put his arm around her again. I soon started to realise that whatever I did or said... It would upset my relatives in some way.

By the time I was eleven, I had accepted it though. I guess my parents loved me, and that I was just seeing things different to them. Who knows though?

When my Hogwarts letter arrived, I felt the beginnings of hope as I realised that this was a chance... My chance. I had spent my years of Muggle school (when Mum finally let me drop out) getting a start on some wizarding stuff instead. A few basics I could pick up from underage textbooks from Diagon alley. My Granddad began to teach me a few of the wizarding ways too. The old laws, such as the marriage law etc. He actually showed pride a few times. When I performed a spell right, or understood the work immediately. Other times it was when I flew on my broom with him, when he taught me Quidditch. I became closest to my Grandfather; more so than perhaps even my Dad. Jacob always said he was too busy to visit him, but I used to go. This was my chance away from Jacob. Hogwarts at last. Away from Mum and Dad, there glassy eyed ways and arms around each other as though protecting themselves from me, away from all the others who visited with a bag of sweets for Jacob, and a few knuts and the odd piece of Muggle gum for me. After all... Even Granddad told me to take it, his eyes alight as he told me of his time at Hogwarts, and how it got him away from his family too.

"Take this chance my girl... Make yourself a name. Go on, you can do it!"

So I did.

By the end of this story, you can tell me whether I made a good one, or a bad one for myself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay so I forgot to mention in the previous chapter that I know the name Harriet is "unoriginal" and I know that this plot line may have been done before, and I know that I'm probably a terrible writer and that I make things to blatantly obvious etc, but I like to write fanfiction, always have so kindly refrain from hating on my work, just ignore or don't read if you don't enjoy, but if you do have some constructive criticism for me then that will of course be appreciated. **

**I don't own Harry Potter and enjoy **

"Jacob, come on! We have to leave any minute now and you're still in the bathroom!" Mum called up the stairs, dashing about with her bag and checking the family clock every so often.

"I'm here!" He said with a grin, appearing in the room suddenly, his fiery hair (so exactly like our Mums) standing up thick with gel.

"Good, right come on Son, let's get gone!" Dad said, clapping him on the back and sending a smile in my way (though it looked somewhat forced) before he and Jacob stepped into the fireplace with the floo powder at the ready.

"Diagon alley!" Jacob said firmly, grinning at me as the green flames erupted around him, appearing to lick up his sides till both he and Dad vanished.

"Come on Harry dear, we'll go next." Mum said, motioning for me to join her in the fireplace, I walked up towards her, my cloak swishing around me. "Really Harriet love, couldn't you have put on something a little brighter?" She asks, fussing at my cloak. It's the usual black one that I wear for travelling. Anybody would think it's all I wear, it's not. Just handy when you are going to end up covered in soot.

"Why? Were going by floo." I say quietly, throwing the powder down.

"Diagon alley." I say, throwing down the floo powder in the fire place. The spinning is something I am never prepared for, a dizzying whirlwind of lots of fireplaces and snaps of everybody who is connected to them, flurrying past in a haze leaving me with more than a little dizziness is in my mind.

"Lily dear! Is that you?!" calls a voice, and I turn to see a rather dumpy woman with flaming red hair in front of us. Not the best sight when your mind is reeling from spinning through a series of fireplaces... I blink slightly, before turning away from the source of her bright hair which seemed burned in my retina for life. I swear I still saw it when I closed my eyes.

"Molly! It's been too long!" I heard my Mum reply to the woman with red hair, who I presumed to be Molly. Their squeals alerted me to the "long lost best friends vibe" that was common among other girls. Not me. I roll my eyes as they make idle chatter for a while, wondering if I can possibly escape them and maybe even go and buy my robes. Anything to escape the sickening display of people when they meet other people.

"And is this... Harriet?" Molly asked after they had, caught up sufficiently, with a slight tremor in her voice.

"Yes..." My Mum replied tentatively, watching me for my reaction to Molly.

I smile in her direction, nodding slightly.

"Come and say Hello to Molly properly Harriet, she won't bite." My Mum says to me, sounding faintly irritated at my lack of response.

"Hello." I mumble quietly, stepping closer to the ginger woman. Her eyes perform the familiar flick up to my forehead, where I have my own scar. The lightning bolt, so unlike the small star which can be inconspicuously hidden on James wrist. He can even pass it off as a birthmark or tattoo depending on what mood he is and how much of a reaction he wants from his Muggle friends, who relish the ideas of having a rebel as their leader.

"May I go and buy my robes Mum?" I ask quietly, wanting to get away suddenly as I see the worry and hear the gasp that escapes from Molly when she reaches the conclusion in her mind. The same one that everybody reaches, but nobody ever fully explains to me.

She nods, and as I walk away from them I hear her introduce Jacob, who has appeared bang on time to step up and be the model son for my family. The chosen one, as I liked to title him in my head sometimes when his ways seemed particularly arrogant to me. To everybody else though, it was "Jacob this..." and "Jacob that!" over and over till I felt almost physically sick. As I step out of the doors, which swing shut behind me with the chatter of the room inside instantly dying down along with its heat, I remember a time when we were younger.

It was when we had to do these stupid tests in Muggle School, Jacob achieved great results, and so did I. Yet it was Jacob that people sent a satchel of money too and not me. I frown as I walk past a shop which is selling a range of sweets, which promise entertaining results to the consumer, wondering why it is always Jacob. Why is he always destined to be the favourite without fail?

After a longish walk through the damp street of Diagon alley, which I don't mind as it gives me time to brood, I come at last to the shop I had desired... Madam Malkins. It's grand shop sign glaring down as though it too disapproves of me in some way. It's like every single thing, whether human or not, in the wizarding world feels like I shouldn't be here.

Madam Malkin, the squat and ever smiling witch, was dressed all in mauve with her smile slipping as she saw me. Recognising me no doubt for who I am.

"Hogwarts?" She asked stiffly when I opened my mouth to explain what I needed to her, nodding, I followed her as she ushered me over to a stool. Another boy is here too, with a pale pointed face. A Malfoy, no doubt about that. A second witch was pining up his long black robes, I clamber onto the stool beside him as Madam Malkin begins measuring and draping robes over me too. Although, unlike the witch seeing to the Malfoy, she appeared to be trying her hardest not to touch me at all, apart from where it was necessary.

"Hullo," said the boy, "Hogwarts too?"

"Yes." I replied.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." I almost grinned, I admit a slight smile/ smirk did grace my features before I could mask it and hide it once more.

"Have you got your own broom?" The boy went on.

"Yes." I reply, looking down at Madam Malkin who is now pining my robes to the right length for me.

"Play Quidditch at all?" was the next question, which I rolled my eyes at.

"Of course, who doesn't?" I demanded in return, feeling a slight... Flutter...? When he grinned at my words.

"I know, I do too- Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"Probably Gryffindor, like all my family." I half groan, which he picks up on judging by the way his eyes dart towards me in confusion as he raises a left arm for the witch measuring him.

"It irritates me... I want to go somewhere of my own, besides Gryffindors always seem a little... Stupid if you know what I mean. They just seem to do all this stupid brave stuff which avails no one anything. They aren't smart either according to their exam results." I say all this in a bit of a rush... Determined to make somebody understand. He actually listens, nodding at my words. It's the first time I have explained any of this to anybody. The first time I guess I have opened up in... Well, a long time. "I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... At least they're smart." I finish up, mumbling slightly as I'm so shocked I have just had a full conversation with this boy.

" Yeah, exactly- imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He snorts, and I giggle a little. Giggle, I Harriet Jane Potter, giggle.

"That's you done dear." I hear the witch assisting Malfoy tell him. He hops down from the stool he was stood on.

"You're pretty cool... For a girl you know." He says, holding out a hand pompously. I shake it, rolling my eyes when Madam Malkin hisses as my robes crease slightly at the movement. "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy by the way."

"Potter, Harriet Potter." I reply, and his eyes widen. I curse myself internally for bringing up who I am... The one person who doesn't seem to hate me... And I have blown it now...

"Wicked, do you have the..." He waves a little haphazardly in the forehead region, and then whispers, "Scar...?" I grin, relieved, and push my fringe up so that he can see.

"Woah... That's cool."

"Draco dear, I thought you might be finished now...?" I hear a woman call, and she steps forward suddenly into my vision. Blonde hair, tall, slim and with an elegant beauty that I admire from a distance.

"I am Mother, but I was just speaking to a friend..." Draco, (did he just call me a friend?!) a polite and formal tone of respect creeping in his before casual voice as he addresses his mother, informs her.

"Which friend dear?"

"Harriet Potter." He replies proudly, waving a hand regally in my direction. She turns to look at me, a smile on her pale face, which so pointed and beautiful and almost a mirror of her younger sons.

"Wonderful to meet you love." She says kindly to me, inclining her head a little as she introduces herself.

"Draco, Narcisssa are you here?" asks a lower voice, and is followed by the appearance of what appears to be an older Draco with longer hair. The ornate cane, which he leans on slightly, is the only sign that there is such a great age gap between him and his son.

"Lucius, this is Draco's new friend... Harriet Potter."

Lucius Malfoy turned to look at me; his eyes were a mixture of amusement and light curiosity. An inexplicable thing happens when our eyes meet... A light ripple, almost like a tickle runs across my scar. Not quite painful... But not pleasant either.

"I am honoured to make your acquaintance my dear." Lucius says, smiling in a genuine way at me.

"The pleasure is mine Mr Malfoy." I reply with a smile myself, grateful to my Grandfather for my pureblooded lessons.

His smile grows wider till he is practically beaming down at me when I say this.

"Where are you parents? Don't you have a twin brother too?" He asks me.

"They're with the Weasley's... You know..." I struggle for a moment with a way to sum them up, "Redheads?" I finally say, pointing to my own hair, which is dark and unkempt.

"Oh don't we just!" He laughs, and upon noticing my look of confusion he hastily adds, "I have the pleasure, if you can call it that, of working with their Father, Arthur I believe he's called."

"What are they like? I didn't really stay around long enough to hear much about them when they met up."

Lucius appeared to be debating on how best to reply, when Draco cut in before he could.

"You'll soon learn that some of us wizarding families are better than the rest. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He throws a wink in my direction where his parents can't see, "I can help you there." He finishes.

"I think we can tell the wrong sort for ourselves thanks." Interrupts a voice I know only too well. Jacob, my twin brother.

"And you are?"

"Jacob Potter, Harriets brother." He steps closer towards us, my Mum and Dad appearing in the shop too, their smiles disappearing when they see who I am with.

"Lucius. Narcissa." My Dad says, nodding formally at them, and then putting his arm around my mum in the way he always does when I seemingly disappoint them.

"Come along now Harriet, it's time we were leaving." He continues, still fussing over mum.

"My robes aren't finished yet." I object quietly, wondering why it's so urgent I leave with them now. They were fine getting rid of me earlier...

"Yes, and were in a hurry, we need to get a wand for Jacob and everybody's books and potion sets yet too!" My Dad interrupts, but the smooth voice of Lucius Malfoy interrupts him.

"We can assist Harriet too if you like, we need also to pick up a wand, potion sets and books. Her and Draco seemed to be getting along excellently just now when we came to pick him up, it would be no trouble and our pleasure to escort her home later on." At this my mum whimpers a little, and my Dad all but growls, I turn to them in shock.

"Please Mrs Potter, we won't let anything happen to her." Draco says eagerly, looking at my parents who stand joined by my dad's arm supporting my mum.

"Malfoy I don't know what your up to-!" Dad begins angrily, stepping forward a little to point at my Lucius and Narcissa. "But I don't trust you one bit!" His voice rises, and Lucius raises his eyebrows faintly.

"Dear me Mr Potter, I'd be careful... Your making a disgrace of yourself here I must say."

"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Were the final words my dad said, before turning to me and pointing to the door with his eyes flashing dangerously he said in a very low voice: "You must learn that too Harriet Jane, now come along." He tossed some coins down for Madam Malkin, who hastily handed him my bags of uniform and bowed us quickly out of the shop.

"Well done Harry..." Jacob muttered shaking his head at me some time later as we were sat in Ollivanders watching mum and dad waiting for Ollivander himself. "What are you doing hanging around with them creeps? Everybody knows Malfoy is bad news, his sons likely to be the same."

"Well then we have something in common." I murmur under my breath, and he frowns at me before stepping forward when Dad calls him. Ollivander didn't even blink at him, but began measuring him up in all the unlikely places you could imagine with his long tape measure which was covered in silver markings all over it.

"Which is your wand arm?" he asked Jacob.

"Right." Jacob answered with a grin.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Jacob from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round to his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr Potter. We use Unicorn hairs, Phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no Unicorn, Phoenix or dragon are quite the same. And of course you will never get such good results with another wizards wand." The tape measure was now measuring in between the nostrils of Jacob of it's own accord.

"That will do," said Ollivander, stepping down from one of his shelf ladders with a box in his pale hand, and the tape measure crumpled to the floor in a heap."Right then, Mr Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible." Jacob took it from him, and gave the wand a wave, grinning as he did so. It swished down through the dusty air and a shower of red sparks appeared as he did so, raining down onto the shops floor before fading slowly. Everybody, well apart from me, cheered and whooped.

"Oh, Bravo! Yes indeed!" Ollivander said. Mum and Dad were practically crying tears of pride at the sight of their boy with his own wand. Then it was my turn, mum and dad eyed me wearily as I stepped forward and silently held out my left hand for Ollivander.

"And this must be Harriet, yes?" he asked, fixing me with his unblinking stare as he began to measure me the same way he did Jacob.

I nod at him, wondering why I couldn't have just asked Mr Malfoy to let me go with them before Dad and Mum arrived...Ollivander began going through everything he had told Jacob with me, so I allowed myself to drift in and out of focus. Not truly listening to a word he was saying. Once all the measuring was finally completed, and it had crumpled to the floor once more, Ollivander brought a wand out for me to try.

"Maple and Phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy, try-" I had already taken the wand and given it a wave, but Ollivander had snatched it back from me before I had even waved it once.

"No, no- here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." I tried. And tried. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr Ollivander pulled from the shelves the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere- I wonder, now- yes, why not- unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." I took the wand, and a sudden warmth in my fingers alerted me to the difference in this wand and the others. I raised the wand the wand above my head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.

"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... How curious... How very curious." he put my wand back into it's box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious."

I couldn't resist asking the question, which was no doubt what he was hoping for anyway.

"Sorry sir, but... What's curious?" I asked him timidly.

"I remember every wand I have ever sold Miss Potter ... Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother- why its brother gave you that scar." Up till that point I'd only been half listening to the old man, he was nice and everything but there was a sleepy quality to his voice which caused me to drift in and out of what he was saying, but now I paid attention.

I had heard the sharp intake of breath from my parents, and even Jacob looked intrigued now, I noticed him pushing his sleeves up to try and reveal the birthmark on his wrist; perhaps hoping for some response from Ollivander.

The thing is, nobody will really explain to me and Jacob what happened to give us these. We know that you-know-who had paid us all a "visit" once and tried to kill us, and somehow he hadn't been able to. We'd been left with these marks, mine being a lot more noticeable.

The one time me and Jacob were ever united was when we were trying to gather information so that we might piece together exactly how we got them. I was the sneaky one so he'd always asked me to do the things which might tarnish his reputation should he be caught. This once involved sneaking on the teachers computer back in year four of Muggle school, whilst he asked her for help with an extra curriculum project based on the Tudors.

The thing was though, nobody seemed to know or understand why or how we got them, and only looked a little scared to be discussing such things. I wasn't stupid, adn though I have my qualms about the intelligence of Jacob, he wasn't that stupid... We knew it was obviously something potentially dangerous, but we just didn't know why.

In fact we had long since abandoned the topic when everybody refused to talk about it to us. Today was the first time anybody voluntarily spoke of it in front of us, and I was eager to find out more.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly, leaning in closer to the old man as I did so.

But that was when Mum and Dad decided enough was enough, threw down some money and quickly escorted us outside. Jacob, the ever wonderful and better child, immediately resumed his suck up behaviour of offering to carry their bags and commenting on how he was so excited for Hogwarts. I on the other hand lagged behind a little casting glances back at the wand shop every so often and wondering, not for the first time, why nobody seemed to know or was willing to talk about what happened.

**Wow, long chapter I know. Anyway from here on in it will be different to books, so likely shorter (bit anyway) chapters and not as much dialogue taken directly from HP. **

**By the way, does anybody catch my reference to a certain game in the title of this story? ;) xxx**


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